This paper presents a comprehensive marketing plan for a company offering a series of survival courses based in the Pacific Northwest. Drawing on post-9/11 and post-Katrina demand for disaster preparedness training, the plan identifies two core target markets — private consumers and corporate employee assistance programs — and outlines a full situational analysis, SWOT assessment, competitive landscape review, product offerings, pricing strategy, advertising approach (including social media), and multi-scenario cash flow projections. The plan also addresses implementation timelines, contingency risks, and the critical operational balance between course rigor and participant safety.
The paper demonstrates effective integration of a SWOT framework into a business marketing context. By explicitly categorizing internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats, the author shows how a strategic tool can directly inform subsequent marketing decisions — for example, linking the identified threat of economic downturn to contingency planning later in the document.
The paper opens with a brief introduction establishing market context, then moves into a formal situational analysis covering market demographics, needs, trends, and growth. A SWOT analysis and competitive landscape review follow, leading into product offerings, pricing, and marketing strategy. The plan concludes with financial projections presented in three scenarios, and closes with controls, implementation notes, and contingency planning — mirroring a standard professional marketing plan format.
"There are no second chances in Mother Nature's survival course." — Robin Lydenburg, 1999
Manmade and natural disasters can strike at any time, and the growing popularity of television shows such as Survivorman and Doomsday Preppers is evidence that many people are interested in knowing what to do when emergencies occur in order to improve their chances of survival. A growing body of research confirms that knowledge of, and training related to, disaster and terrorism survival skills and survival planning are important for private citizens as well as organizations, especially in the post-September 2001 work-life environment. Today, private citizens and organizational employee assistance programs are increasingly seeking out the survival course training that will be needed to survive manmade and natural disasters, as discussed further below.
Recent disasters and terrorist incidents — such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina — clearly indicate that individual survival skill ability was lacking (Hurst, 2006). The enormity of these natural and manmade disasters was so severe that people who were not directly victimized by them were still harmed in ways that caused shock, stress, personal loss, and physical and mental injury (Hurst, 2006). Consequently, virtually anyone may be interested in survival skills training.
The profile for the typical consumer consists of (a) everyone who is concerned about improving their chances for survival following a manmade or natural disaster, especially those living in close geographic proximity, and (b) companies wanting to provide survival training for their employees as part of an employee assistance program (Hurst, 2006).
Geographics. The company is geographically situated in the Pacific Northwest on 100 acres of wilderness.
Demographics. Both private and corporate clients of all ages and both genders in the geographic area of interest will be targeted. Targeting corporate clients is congruent with current trends indicating a growing number of companies are offering employee assistance programs that include a survival course component (Hurst, 2006). According to Hurst, "Professionals need to become expert at training and consulting with individuals and organizations on the critical skills necessary to survive and recover from a disaster or terrorist attack and build productive lives and workplaces in the aftermath" (2006, p. 14). An important point made by Hurst is the need to extend survival course training to all employees, irrespective of their positions or physical limitations. People in wheelchairs or with other physical limitations also want to maximize their chances for survival post-disaster, and these participants will be expected to complete the same coursework as their peers to the extent they are able. The five main components of survival skills and survival planning training include the following major topics:
1. Learning the psychology of survival;
2. Understanding the "survival" blueprint;
3. Surviving different environments;
4. Creating a survival plan and kits; and
5. Simulating a survival situation (Hurst, 2006, p. 14).
There is a growing demand for survival courses across a wide range of applications and settings. For example, the oil and gas industry requires all employees to complete training at the Gulf Technical and Safety Training Centre in Abu Dhabi in order to be permitted to work in offshore facilities. This two-day offshore survival course includes hands-on disaster management training as well as firefighting training (Baxter, 2010). Likewise, in El Paso, Texas, all teachers are required to complete the Adult Civil Defense Survival Course as part of their employment agreement (Rose, 2001).
This is an interesting period in the survival training industry. Although the world did not face the calamitous end predicted by many for December 21, 2012, the flurry of survival training offerings that emerged in response may face challenging times ahead without some aggressive marketing.
In general, demand for survival courses has increased in recent years, due in large part to the doomsday predictions leading up to December 21, 2012 as well as the culture of fear that has developed among some American consumers in the post-September 11, 2001 United States (Rose, 2011). Even though the world did not end as predicted, there are plenty of other manmade and natural disasters waiting to affect humankind in the future, and there will likely be a modest increase in both the number of survival course providers and the scope and content they offer.
A well-conducted SWOT analysis can help identify key issues that enable the formulation of an informed strategic approach. The SWOT analysis seeks to identify the respective strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to the operating environment in which a company competes. In this type of analysis, strengths are comprised of positive aspects that are internal to the entity; weaknesses are negative aspects that are internal to the entity; and opportunities are positive aspects that are external to the entity. For the purposes of a SWOT analysis, threats are considered to be negative aspects that are external to the entity (Cravens, 2000).
Strengths. The company's leadership team consists of investors with professional survival course training experience.
Weaknesses. Although the enterprise is self-funded, the principals will need to achieve a break-even point and profitability early on in order for the company to remain viable.
Opportunities. The potential for limited franchising exists for this business model.
Threats. Downturns in the economy could potentially adversely affect the company's enrollment and profitability.
A search for comparable survival courses in the United States identified five main providers, summarized below.
Wilderness Awareness School is a nationwide not-for-profit environmental education group offering programs for adults, teens, and youth summer courses, as well as a home-study option. Courses include weekend and longer programs covering diverse wilderness topics such as wild edible plants, wildlife tracking, and bird language.
Boulder Outdoor Survival School (Boulder, Colorado) has been offering field-based, hands-on survival and explorer courses for 40 years. Their 7-, 14-, and 28-day courses are not designed for the faint-hearted. Explorer courses offer a rustic wilderness experience without the physically challenging impact phase of the field courses.
Wilderness Learning Center offers several 7-day basic survival courses and a winter survival course in upstate New York, plus 3-day courses in North Carolina in the spring.
Earth Connection operates two school locations in Virginia and North Carolina. Both branches offer regularly scheduled weekend courses teaching primitive skills, wilderness survival, and self-sufficiency. Specialties include friction fire making and wild edible plants, with subjects ranging from tracks and sign to wilderness survival and organic gardening.
88 Tactical (Omaha, Nebraska) offers both civilian and law enforcement survival training courses. Specialty offerings include an "Aftermath" series, edged weapons, handguns, rifles, shotguns, and self-defense.
Source: Adapted from Friedland, 2012
Post-Disaster (2-Day Course) — This 2-day course provides a solid foundation for individuals who have an interest in learning skills necessary for preparing to survive an aftermath event. It combines lectures, practical examination, and scenario-based training to fully immerse the student in a simulated event. Students will live, work, and train with other students in a training area and bunker for 2 days and 1 night. Price: $495 (private) / $395 (corporate).
Aftermath Series (3-Day Course) — This 3-day course provides a solid foundation for individuals interested in learning skills necessary for preparing to survive an aftermath event. It combines lectures, practical examination, and scenario-based training to fully immerse the student in a simulated event. Students will live, work, and train with other students in a training area and bunker for 3 days and 2 nights. Price: $850 (private) / $700 (corporate).
Aftermath Series — 5-Day Course (AMS5) — This 5-day course provides a solid foundation for individuals interested in learning skills necessary for preparing to survive an aftermath event. It combines lectures, practical examination, and scenario-based training to fully immerse the student in a simulated event. Students will live, work, and train with other students in a training area and bunker for 5 days and 4 nights. Price: $1,895 (private) / $1,695 (corporate).
Note: All courses must have at least six enrollees to proceed. If an insufficient number of enrollees are available, they will be moved to the next available class until at least six are obtained. Corporate discount is available with enrollment of three or more participants.
There are three fundamental keys to success for this survival course enterprise:
1. Safety of participants;
2. Welfare of participants; and
3. Quality of course offerings.
The critical issue facing this enterprise is the need to provide a rigorous and challenging survival course while ensuring that its features are safe and that all participants will be able to complete the training with support, and will find the experience empowering, exciting, satisfying, and even enjoyable.
The mission of the survival courses provided by the company is to equip all participants with the knowledge and tools they will need to improve their chances of surviving a natural or manmade disaster.
The company's marketing objectives for the next year are to reach at least 10% of the target market through low-cost marketing initiatives and campaigns.
The company's financial objectives are to increase cash flow by 50% by the end of 2014.
The survival courses provided by the company are not designed for the frail or severely handicapped. Although provisions are made for differences in size and physical ability, all participants will undergo rigorous training that requires a normal level of physical fitness. There will be no "watered down" versions of the survival course training offered.
The company will promote its survival course offerings through trade journal advertisements as well as through a prominent Facebook page.
The marketing strategies used by the company will focus on the two core target markets: (a) private consumers and (b) corporate clients. For private consumers, marketing strategies will include appeals to homeowners and college students who may feel vulnerable and seek the self-confidence that survival course training provides. For corporate clients, the focus will be on the improved morale and employee satisfaction that can result from participation in survival course training.
Pricing. The pricing for the survival courses will be based on an analysis of comparable offerings by competitors, with a goal of providing more value for less money. Significant discounts will be provided to corporate clients that enroll three or more students.
Distribution. The survival coursework will take place both in the classroom and in the field.
Advertising and Promotion. Several different methods will be used for advertising, including television, social media, magazines, and a free or low-cost website for the promotion of course offerings and specials. According to Fox (2009, p. 114), "Facebook is more marketing-friendly than MySpace, primarily because it offers easy-to-use ways for companies and even individual products to establish profile pages. Companies can create 'fan pages' (or fans can create them independently); and easy-to-use group pages are available to help users congregate around shared interests." Fox (2009, p. 114) further notes that "Creating these pages requires little graphic expertise (unlike in MySpace) because Facebook pages are all standardized in one generic blue-and-white template," an advantage that many small business owners will appreciate.
Customer Service. Survival course offerings will need to take into account general differences in size and strength between participants. Additional considerations include differences in comfort zones as well as possible differences in emergency reactions to personal danger (Roosevelt & Bloom, 2001, p. 103). As noted above, there will be no "watered down" versions of the survival course offerings.
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